your summer of linguistics awaits

training tracks

Many students take courses at SIL-UND to prepare for field service as linguist/translators, literacy specialists, language surveyors, or signed language specialists. Others want training in intercultural community workor how to learn a languageto prepare for a variety of other roles.

Every organization has its own expectations, so you should contact the organization you are interested in directly. We provide some information here about how SIL-UND training tracks relate to various SIL International job roles. But job role requirements change frequently, and for a complete and up-to-date list of training requirements for service with SIL in various specializations, you should see the separate page for general information about SIL schools in North America, and especially the training tracks listed there.

A modification of Package A (Language and Linguistics) can provide a helpful and thorough preparation for learning a language in a field situation. This package is for people whose primary purpose is not linguistics, literacy or translation—people such as missionaries, anthropologists, community development workers, educators, diplomats, and business people.

1 summer only

Two courses form the core that teaches you how to learn a language:

Learner-Directed Second Language Acquisition

Articulatory Phonetics

Other courses can make you even more successful as you learn to function in another language and culture. You may choose from the following courses (5 credits max) to fill up your course schedule:

Students who want to serve as literacy specialists with SIL should plan to take (at a minimum) two summers of courses, one of general linguistics and one consisting of the Literacy Megacourse, as shown below. Since the Megacourse is not offered every summer, consult with the SIL-UND Director about when you can take each package of courses. Students who are not planning to work with SIL, especially those who are actively involved in teaching literacy in formal or nonformal settings, sometimes take the Literacy Megacourse without training in linguistics.

Important note: People training to be literacy specialists sometimes substitute Phonology I for one of the courses in Package A in order to complete as much training as possible in two summers. However, Phonology I requires special permission to be taken at the same time as Phonetics, and there are also scheduling issues to consider. If you are interested in this option, please contact the SIL-UND Director.

Students in the Megacourse who have not previously taken courses in Phonology and Sociolinguistics should discuss with the SIL-UND director or the megacourse instructor whether they should take Introduction to Writing Systems for credit or audit.

Our primary course for this track, Sociolinguistic Methods in Language Survey, is taught at SIL-UND only in odd-numbered years. As such, the courses that you take depend on whether you start studying in an odd-numbered or even-numbered year. Thus, there are two training tracks below.The courses that you need to be a language surveyor are also available from the Summer@CanIL program (every summer) and the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (every January and by distance ed). As long as you get all the courses you need, you can take them from different SIL schools.Because there are so many options, the following is only a general guide; your specific training path may be rather different. Contact us for advice about how to choose among the various possibilities.

Starting in an odd-numbered year

Starting in an even-numbered year

1st summer

Sociolinguistic Methods in Language Survey

Articulatory Phonetics or Sign Language Phonetics

Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Language Development

Learner-Directed Second Language Acquisition

Articulatory Phonetics or Sign Language Phonetics

Learner-Directed Second Language Acquisition

Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Language Development

Ethnographic Methods (or possibly Syntax and Morphology I)

2nd summer

Phonology I

Ethnographic Methods

1 other course (perhaps Syntax and Morphology I)

Sociolinguistic Methods in Language Survey

Phonology I

Ethnographic Methods (if not taken in the first summer) or some other course

Beyond…

Field service as a language surveyor. (If you will be working with SIL, there is normally a 2-year term of service, which includes a 6-month internship under experienced survey personnel.)

If you are interested in taking these courses, please contact the SIL-UND director to discuss your particular needs and interests and how well they fit with what we have to offer.

1st summer

A modified version of Package A: Language and Linguistics (Introductory) Package. These courses are offered every summer. Most of them cover both signed and spoken languages, and lay the foundation for the advanced courses on sign languages below.

Phonetics of Signed Languages

Learner-Directed Second Language Acquisition (using a signed language when available)

SIL-UND does not offer all the courses that are required for service as an intercultural community worker with SIL, but it does offer a basic set of courses that you can take during the summer. Then you would take the rest of the courses elsewhere. See SIL International’s description of this specialty for further information about courses required and contact information where you can ask questions.

Summer at SIL-UND

Articulatory Phonetics

Learner-Directed Second Language Acquisition

Ethnographic Methods

Introduction to Sociolinguistics and Language Development

Take other courses elsewhere

Additional courses for this specialization are available from GIAL and CANIL.